Feb. 3rd, 2016

Yeah, not really. But nonetheless, I am intending to put more time and attention into my writing. I currently have two shorts stories ready to reissue under a new pen name. I once had three pen names, but I've ditched one and am reissuing the stories under the second, which is the name I use for sci fi, fantasy, mysteries and pretty much everything but erotica. The first pen name will remain my designated erotica name.

I have two more new stories in the pipeline, one completely written but still in need of proofing, the other 99% complete. Then I'll need to find art for the covers, create the covers in GIMP, and turn them into ebooks in Jutoh.*

I have a couple of other completed stories that need to go out to markets again. I sent them out one or twice, then stopped. But persistence is the name of the game, and I am now, again, in a headspace where I can manage that. I wasn't for a long while.

Then there are the stories--from short stories to a couple of novels--in various stages of completion. I'm tempted, badly tempted, to start over. But as my writing gurus Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Rusch will tell anyone who listens, NEVER EVER DO THAT. That is your critical voice talking. Every writer feels like that, generally about two-thirds of the way through the project.** Throttle that voice and finish the story. Get it out the door. Write the next one, and use what you learned on THAT one. (In fact, they being married, often have to remind one another of this. One or the other will stomp out of their office to announce that the current project is unsalvageable shit. The other will ask, "How far along are you?" The frustrated writer will pause, realize what's happening, mutter "dammit" and return to the office to keep writing.)

In other news, I'm about to start playing in an online superhero game on InsaneJournal. I played in several years ago and loved them to death. But they eventually petered out, as such things always do. I've tried many time over the years to find new games, but never with any real success. But this time for sure!

*Unsolicited endorsement. Jutoh is by far the best software I've yet found for turning documents into ebooks. It's not terribly expensive, it works great, and while the manual is...less than helpful, the author can be reached with questions and always responds promptly.

**I'm right at 35,000 words on The Lifeboat (working title). I'm right on schedule. The urge to start over is powerful, but I'm not gonna. I'm gonna finish that damn thing.